What I Learned From A Pavement Conversation

March 4, 2009 · by Joanna Paterson · in

There were two minutes to go till the start of the first event of the conference.  I was panic struck, paralysed with anxiety.  I wished I was anywhere but there, in a hotel room in downtown Chicago.

I sent a direct message to @amypalko on Twitter.  “I can’t go! I can’t do it!” She sent me encouraging words in response.  “You’ll be fine.  You’ll love it.  Tell us how it goes.”

I screwed my courage to the sticking place, took the lift down to the lobby, and stepped out into the warm Chicago evening.

Someone called my name:  “Joanna!”

Then a flurry of greetings, and hellos, and “Look, it’s Joanna!” and nervous laughs, and smiles, and hugs.  People recognised me.  They knew who I was, where I’d come from, what I write about, things that are important to me, that I was nervous and jet-lagged, that coming to Chicago meant a great deal.  To me, and to them.

Within minutes, I knew I was among friends.

The crowd grew.  What started as two or three of us grew into one table, then a few, then a hubbub of chattering bloggers covering the broad sidewalk in front of the hotel.  (Have you ever been to a blogging or Twitter meetup?  Have you ever heard such a noise?)

There were two people in particular I couldn’t wait to see.  One of them I’d already met, the day before, when I’d travelled out to Geneva, Illinois, to meet up, walk by the river, drink a beer, and talk about… well yes, blogging of course.  And American history, and British culture, and the words that connect and confuse us, and social media and business, and things our kids do, and how proud we are of them, and… the kind of things friends talk about.

The other person was the third part of our blogging trio: three musketeers who’d written, grown, learned, shared and supported each other through the development of our blogs.

And here we are.  Doesn’t that look like a precious moment?

Blogging Buddies by Joanna Young on flickr

It was.

(It’s me, with Brad Shorr from Word Sell, and Robert Hruzek from Middle Zone Musings).

Robert, being Robert, a man who can See Humor in Nearly Everything, asked me who the weird chap standing behind us was.

I hadn’t noticed it him first time round.  The heater did appear to have a face (and to be wearing, appropriately enough, a hat.)

And part of me also wanted to say: he’s what we’ve created, what goes beyond the three of us, the thirty of us standing blethering on that Chicago pavement.

The extra presence at the party was the relationship that existed between us.

Meeting up with other bloggers is quite an experience.  I’d thoroughly recommend it: with the right people, in the right setting (and always taking into account your own safety, of course.)  It’s particularly good if, like me,  you’re at all shy about meeting new people for the first time.  Because once you’re beyond the initial fleeting second of shyness this isn’t meeting for the first time.  This is meeting people who:

  • Recognise you (helps if you use a recognisable picture of yourself!)
  • Know something about you: your values, attitudes, interest, approach
  • Share similar values: how to share, learn, connect, grow through online conversations
  • Enjoy talking about blogging (who could ask for more?!)
  • Have gone out of their way to be there, and share that moment

But does it go beyond that: a fleeting moment, a weekend meet up, a conversation by a pavement cafe?

Yes, yes, and most definitely: yes.

I see evidence of this playing out every day on Twitter.  But I won’t try and speak for the other participants at the event, just for me. The relationships I developed in Chicago last year have helped me:

  • Grow and develop this blog
  • Learn more about the difference between readers, followers, customers and clients
  • Pass on what I know about blogging and community and business to you
  • Take risks and work audaciously, knowing I’ve got a second to none support network to back me up, support me, help if things go wrong, cheer when things go well
  • Make decisions about where I was going to live, from a brief conversation with an exceptionally thoughtful person
  • Live and work out loud.  On purpose.
  • Count my blessings every day, for knowing such intelligent, funny and generous people

And I’d call that a pretty good return on investment.

—

This post is a contribution to Robert Hruzek’s ‘What I Learned from a Sidewalk’ Group Writing Project.  Please do think about taking part yourself – it’s a great way to connect with a most supportive community.  You can write about *anything* that you’ve noticed from paying attention to a sidewalk (or pavement).

There’s also a prize on offer this month: a copy of the Problogger book.

It’s also a contribution to the Blog It! Earn It! challenge being run by the SobCon09 organisers.  Because the conference sponsors are investing in them, they can invest in the people who are attending.  They’re offering a $200 discount on the full conference price if you blog about the conference theme: the return on investment on relationships.

Now I can’t go to Chicago this year (because I’ve got a pressing appointment at a writing retreat in Italy) which means I can’t take advantage of this discount.

But I can offer it up to you.

Please do let me know if you will be able to take advantage of the discount (by attending the conference: it’s $200 off full conference price, only one discount per person!)

Send me an email at joanna [@] confidentwriting.com if you’d like to take this up… first come, first served

It is, of course, also a contribution to this month’s theme of community.

Photo credit: blogging buddies, by Joanna Young on Flickr

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